Top Agriculture News

The October Rural Mainstreet Index didn’t contain a lot of good news for the farm economy. Dr. Ernie Goss of Creighton University conducts the survey and talks about the results. “Well, our survey of bank CEOs in rural areas in ten states in this mid-section of the country, the overall index, which ranges between zero […]

Sunday is the time to move clocks back in the U.S. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time, which means setting your clock back an hour. Standard time will last until March 9 when we will again “spring forward” with the return of daylight saving time. That spring time change can be tough on your body but the fall change should be easier to adjust to. Most countries don’t make time changes. It’s mostly North America and Europe. In the U.S., there are two exceptions. Arizona and Hawaii stick to standard time year-round.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s state government is diverting $100 million to spend on loans to farmers and cleanup after Hurricane Helene. The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission voted unanimously Friday to spend the money. It had been set aside for construction projects or paying off existing debt. Of the money, $75 million will be used to provide disaster relief loans to farmers and associated businesses in the agricultural industry. The other $25 million will be spent to clean up timber losses and other debris. A state agency that lends money to farmers will begin working on a plan to spend the $100 million on Monday.

The National Pork Producers Council confirms there are no food safety concerns about the nation’s pork supply after H5N1 was detected this week in an Oregon backyard farm. NPPC continues to work closely with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services and pork industry stakeholders on disease surveillance programs. “The confirmed case […]

I am talking with Corey Davis from the State Climate Office of North Carolina, time to take a look back over October. And I think it could be summed up in a couple of words: Dry October, certainly, and a lot of places pretty warm, but what’s your perspective, Corey? “Yeah, Mike, that’s pretty much […]

When it comes to raising healthy dairy calves, protecting them from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is essential for their growth and long-term profitability. Dr. Linda Tikofsky, a professional services veterinarian with Boehringer-Ingelheim, talks about the importance of creating a plan to protect calves from BRD. “BRD is one of the most common syndromes or diseases […]

The National FFA Organization elected its new leadership team for the next year during the recent national convention. Thaddeus Bergscheider of Franklin, Illinois, was elected as the new President. He talks about his family background in agriculture. “I was raised on a corn, soybean row-crop operation, and then we also have 200 head of cattle. […]

It’s been five years since USDA’s Risk Management Agency first offered the crop insurance product known as Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index. “That product is what’s called a weather index policy. So it’s a little bit different than your own individual underlying multi-partial policy in that we use weather data, and that doesn’t require that you […]

Despite market head winds, land values continue to be strong, particularly in the Midwest. Paul Schadegg is Senior Vice President of Farm and Ranch Management and Real Estate for the Farmers National Company, and says the market in the “I” states continues to display resiliency. “Good quality, high productive soils are still bringing a premium, […]

While the farm economy seems to have stabilized in the Midwest and Northern Plains, it weakened in the rest of the U.S. this fall. Producers are dealing with high costs and lower commodity prices. “Agricultural activity was flat to down modestly, with some crop prices remaining unprofitably low,” reported the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book. Farmers […]